1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to compost tea, and more particularly to an apparatus for producing compost tea.
2. Description of Related Art
Compost tea refers to a nutrient and microbially enriched solution used in home and commercial agriculture and horticulture environments. The solution has a diversity of uses and applications, ranging from encouraging plant growth to fighting plant pathogens. The solution is generally produced by removing beneficial nutrients and micro-organisms from existing compost material and mixing them in water. Once produced, one must use the compost tea within a short period of time to ensure that the beneficial micro-organisms, which require an aerobic environment, survive until application. Application consists of spraying the compost tea onto the foliage or the soil, depending on the intended use and desired results.
The benefits of compost tea include elimination of the use of commercially produced fertilizers and pesticides that have long-term detrimental effects on the environment. Since the beneficial ingredients of compost tea are naturally occurring, they promote the development of beneficial organisms and insects which naturally control pests while promoting plant growth. Commercially produced pesticides tend to kill both the pests and beneficial organisms and insects.
Devices and methods of producing compost tea typically involve steeping or leaching the nutrients and organisms from compost material into water. Many devices and methods also utilize an aeration means to ensure an aerobic environment and provide agitation. Simple methods include encasing compost in a cloth or filter media which is then placed in a container holding water. The beneficial nutrients and microbial organisms leach into the water producing compost tea. This method is time consuming, taking days to produce even small quantities of compost tea. Additionally, the results are unpredictable since aerobic conditions may not be maintained. As microorganisms propagate in the tea, they deplete the existing oxygen. If the oxygen is depleted, the microorganisms die making the tea ineffective.
Current practice teaches that improved results occur when the solution is aerated during the leaching process. Aeration, provided by introduction of oxygen or air bubbles into the liquid, provides a continual aerobic environment. This oxygen enriched environment aids the propagation of micro-organisms in the tea. While aeration aids in tea production, the process is still time consuming. Tea production using these methods requires 12 to 24 hours to produce a batch of tea.
Other aerated leaching processes include placing the compost in a trough. The trough may be composed of metal, pipe or similar material with holes cut in the bottom. Compost material is placed in or conveyed through the trough. Water is sprayed on top of the compost. The water leaches through the compost and exits through the holes in the trough. The water is re-circulated until the desired compost tea leachate is produced. In other methods, the compost is conveyed through the trough with an auger. The water is sprayed into the compost by nozzles on the auger. However, these systems still require hours to produce a batch of tea.
An inherent problem with existing compost tea devices and methods is production time. To achieve the most beneficial results, compost tea must be applied within a short time after production to ensure the beneficial micro-organisms survive until application. Generally, this means that the tea must be applied within a day after brewing to prevent spoilage. Such time frames present difficulties for users. Since current methods of compost tea production require almost a day of production time, with an application window of about a day, users must plan application in advance. If the user is unable to apply the tea during the application window the tea will spoil, resulting in lost product. When the product spoils, the user must expend additional resources to produce additional tea for application. Other difficulties arise if weather changes prohibit or stop the application of compost tea. The user must stop application, and if conditions do not change to allow application during the appropriate time frame, the tea will spoil.
The problem of spoilage presents disadvantages for all compost tea users, but is exacerbated for large scale operations requiring several hundred or even thousands of gallons of compost tea. If the operation is unable to use the tea within the required window, the costs of producing replacement tea can be expensive in both increased compost material and labor costs. Changes in weather have a greater impact on large operations since application over hundreds of acres takes time. Some operations try to overcome this limitation by staggering application over several days or weeks. This is also a time consuming process.
Another difficulty for large scale operations is device size and ease of use. Currently, most devices used to produce compost tea require the transfer of the tea from the device to a separate sprayer. In large scale applications, the tea must be transferred to a large sprayer or tote container for application. Until the tea is transferred, the device cannot be utilized to produce additional tea. This transfer process takes additional time and expense. Additionally, devices utilized for large quantity production of compost tea tend to be large, bulky, and are not easily mobile. This lack of mobility means the totes or containers must be hauled from the production area to the application areas. This hauling increases the expense in time, labor and equipment required for production.
Accordingly, what is needed is an invention to produce compost tea in large or small batches in a short amount of time that is portable and easy to use.